Arak's Love: A World Beyond Book 2 by Michelle Howard Page B

other vessels, which could have been in the vicinity to render aid.”
    Sylvie’s breath eased out on a sigh, the tension in her shoulders at her fate easing. Money and a place. It was a starting point. “Thank you, Faye.”
    “No. Thanks aren’t necessary. We Earth women have to stick together.”
    All of them exchanged glances then giggled. Women on Earth were not known for sticking together since men were a limited commodity.
    Faye continued. “Clothes have been ordered and delivered to the apartments. Anything you don’t like can be returned. I just wish they had underwear and bras. I had to place an order from Earth but it won’t arrive for a few weeks.”
    “Why don’t you wear the Enotian undergarments,” Joni asked, finishing her food and pushing her plate away.
    Faye’s eyes widened. “They don’t have any.”
    A frown pierced Joni’s brow. “Sure they do. Boy shorts that I hope don’t rise after washing and tanks with built in padding. Not exactly bra and panties but its something.”
    Red stained Faye’s cheeks. “That slick Chosen of mine. Torkel never gave me under clothes so I assumed the women here didn’t wear any.”
    Faye’s head lifted as her eyes scanned the room and it was unfortunate that Torkel chose that moment to enter the recreation room with a warm smile when he spotted Faye.
    “Excuse me ladies,” Faye growled and rose to her feet to confront him.
    “He’s in the alien dog house if I’m not mistaken,” Joni said, not taking her eyes off the drama about to play out.
    Sylvie and the men watched as well. Faye leaned in close to her man and stabbed her finger at his uniform covered broad chest. Torkel’s cheeks flamed. With anger or outrage Sylvie couldn’t tell. His dark brows pulled down in a V formation and he whispered something back to Faye before grasping her finger and lowering it.
    Sylvie half-rose out of her seat and the scrape of the chair across from her signaled Joni mirroring the move. Too many times they’d watched women, fellow prisoners, beaten by angry males. Aliens with two times their strength. The Jutak was twice Faye’s size.
    Faye arched up on her toes and jerked on his shoulder-length, brown hair. Torkel grabbed her by the waist and half-lifted her in the air. Sylvie took one step toward them before a band of steel clamped around her waist.
    Instinct governed her next action as she cocked back her elbow, prepared to deliver a sharp blow when soft accented words caressed the lobe of her ear. “Shh. Watch.”
    Her eyes focused on the arguing couple but Sylvie couldn’t ignore the fluttery sensation around her middle from the warm weight of Arak’s arm holding her against a rock-solid chest. The hard bulge between his legs nudged against her lower back.
    Torkel leaned down and kissed Faye gently. Her fingers tangled in the strands of his hair as he lowered her to her feet. When they parted, Torkel grinned and murmured something in Faye’s ear. She chuckled and slapped at his shoulders.
    Crisis averted.
    For them.
    Now to deal with the man at her back.
    “He would never harm a hair on her head,” Arak continued.
    Conflicting emotions converged on her. Sylvie wanted to lean back into the security of his embrace but her recent experiences made her leery of trusting contact with any stranger.
    “You can trust me, you know.” His husky murmur against the side of her face curled the hair at her nape. His accent was like none she’d ever heard before. Flavored with a European tint and the clipped edges of something else, his voice caressed her in ways Sylvie hadn’t expected.
    Before she could respond to his claim, his arm slid away from her waist and he stepped back. Sylvie mourned the loss and the warmth of his touch. She turned to face him but he moved away before she could reprimand him for the intimate way he’d held her. Faye flounced over, keeping Sylvie from speaking to Arak. He raised a brow and smiled before leaving them